Quick Question

[Marcello Matteo]

Contruum

Marcello entered the medium-sized restaurant roughly fifteen minutes prior to seven in the evening. Several days prior, he'd sent a message to an old friend to meet him on the planet at this particular restaurant to chat. Marcello didn't really follow the holonet too closely for anything other than stories directly relating to the galaxy at large...and even then it was generally propaganda for one side or another.

However, in the course of reaching out to [member="Leori Sheltrak"], the Rogue Master learned that the woman had married...fairly randomly. It was an interesting situation, but he supposed Leori certainly had been 'looking' so to speak. In the end of the day, he was happy that she'd found someone. More specifically, he was hopeful it would eliminate any potential drama.

After being directed to his reserved table by the hostess, Marcello took a seat. Dressed comfortably in slacks and a long sleeved shirt, Marcello considered himself about as business casual as it got for him. The establishment wasn't particularly ritzy or anything, but it wasn't the grungy cantina he tended to prefer these days during his travels.

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

Leori had been surprised to get a message from Marcello. It had been a long time since they’d spoken last, and after their last conversation, she didn’t think he’d be to eager to call unless he needed her help. So now as she arrived at the establishment just ten minutes later, she wondered what he would have to ask of her.

She shook her long locks loose as she entered the restaurant. Her clothes were much trendier than she usually wore, so she might blend in or stick out, depending on the crowd. It didn’t matter to Leori, as she never sought attention.

With an escort, Leori reached the table. “Sorry I’m late.” She slid into the seat across from him and looked him over. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to get a read on him. “It is good to see you, Marcello.”


Marcello waved a dismissive hand as Leori arrived. Offering her a simple, tired smile, the Rogue Master leaned back in his chair slightly. "Nice to see you, Leori. Oh and congratulations of course. I was...surprised, to say the least."

Leori chuckled. “Not more than I was, of that I am certain.” Though she wasn’t sure if he knew all the details. “But thank you. How are you?”

Marcello in fact knew none of the details, but it wasn't really much an issue. Managing a brief laugh at her comment, the Rogue Jedi ran a hand through his long locks absent-mindedly. "Oh you know. Always on the move. This war is...taxing to say the least. I'm doing just fine though." Marcello managed to sound convincing enough, though he was clearly tired. An unusual trait.

Leori raised an eyebrow. “Taxing is a huge understatement. And I don’t believe that everything is fine, or we wouldn’t be sitting her now, now would we?” Her expression softened. “You don’t have to pretend with me Marcello.”

This time, Marcello laughed genuinely. "No. I suppose we would not." Leveling his glacier-blue gaze in her direction, he moved himself to the point. "I require your assistance with something."

Leori nodded. She’d already figured that out. “Go on. I’m listening.”

Marcello was quite certain he was making this all seem more ominous than really necessary, but it was the best shot he really had. "The man that injured you a while back. What was his name?"

Leori thought about it. There had been many times that she’d been injured, and he was not present for a great many of them. “Do you mean Cameron Centurion? When I was kidnapped by Nessarose DeWinter?”

Marcello honestly could only remember a small handful of times when she had been injured...or when she'd told him at least. However, where Marcello had only expected to get one name, he received multiple. Producing a datapad, he quickly recorded the names before storing the device. The first name seemed rather familiar...from a report he'd read about an incident on Ossus. "That sounds right, thanks. Now then...on to why I really asked you to meet me here. I'm starting up a small team to accomplish some tasks unrelated to the Jedi Order, and I could do with a capable healer."

Leori nodded. “I will always help you. You know you didn’t have to ask.” She offered a small smile, briefly. “Do I get any more details than that? And why were you asking about Cameron Centurion?”

Marcello returned a thin smile. "Thank you. As for details, yes of course. However...not here. Come with me." Somewhat abruptly, Marcello stood and waited for Leori to join him. A waiter immediately crossed the room and began to apologize for not coming by sooner and to inquire if something was wrong. Marcello simply held up a hand. "Not anymore. We're leaving, thank you."

Leori blinked and stood up after Marcello. She shouldn’t have been surprised. The response might have been different if she’d inquired telepathically of course. She nodded to the waiter, and followed Marcello out of the establishment.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello walked casually down the moderately busy streets of Contruum with [member="Leori Sheltrak"]. For the most part, their conversation was of idle chit-chat. However, as they neared a parking lot, Marcello directed her to a speeder that he had rented. While he usually had...particular takes in anything he drove or piloted, he was more concerned about blending on this stop.

Sliding into the driver's seat, he waited for Leori to settle herself before taking off into the skylanes. Once they were truly alone, his comments returned to business. "I need to know about the Silver Jedi. Specifically, I need to know what in the hell their deal is." Truthfully, Marcello had never spoken to a member of that order, so he knew only what the popular perception on the fledgling group was. There was a deeper purpose behind his question than a simple query, however.

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

Leori followed her former apprentice down the streets and to the speeder that he’d arranged. She slipped into the passenger side and in seconds they were off. And then the real questions began. She narrowed her eyes. His questions were rather vague.

“Well, you know most of the Silver Jedi, or of them at least. So I’m not sure what more I can tell you about them. As for their deal, that is a little less difficult to answer. When Joshua was voted out, I, along with the founders left the Republic. I sought space from a clearly political problem within the Jedi of the Republic. Since then however, it seems they’ve begun turning into the very thing that they wanted to leave.”

She looked over at Marcello, unsure if she’d answered his question in the manner he’d hoped for. “So I’m not entirely sure what their deal is anymore.”

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello knew what others said about the Silver Jedi, yes. However, he'd never taken the time to ask one of them, specifically one he trusted not to try and manipulate him. "Let me get this straight. Because a fool was voted off the Council, you all split from the Order to create your own to do...what? What fundamental issue did you have with the Jedi Order that prompted your hasty departure?" Pausing for a moment, Marcello exhaled heavily. "Let me be clear, I'm not passing judgment. I, too, exiled myself from the Order because I felt that I did not belong, I couldn't be what a Jedi was supposed to be."

Another pause.

"In the time since, I've learned a great deal about myself. About what really matters in the galaxy. Now, I remain apart because politics on no level interest me. We will all exist in a continuous state of war. My goal is to inspire change by standing only on my own actions, doing all that the Force really expects of me. To protect it and the sentients it sustains." Marcello realized the statement he was making sounded...ridiculously romantic and not really realistic. "I will fail in this to a degree, obviously. It is impossible for me to be everywhere, effecting everything."

Waving a single dismissive hand, he returned to the point of this visit. "In short, that's my current story. So...what really is the deal with the Silver Jedi? Or are you all just content to takeover worlds in the distance and casually ignore all that is happening throughout the galaxy? Why not be better than the Jedi Order you abandoned?"

[member="Leori Sheltrak"]

 

[Leori Sheltrak]

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

“The Fundamental issue that I had with the Jedi Order was that Jedi were being judged by other Jedi. Everyone had a different idea of what Jedi should be, should embody. And there is no one answer. Each Jedi is different. We are not war mongers, or pacifists. Other Jedi deciding what a Jedi should be, and should be doing, is wrong. What you describe is exactly why we left. We clearly didn’t belong because we didn’t conform to those standards. I don’t want to belong there. It was just clear that lines were being drawn with Joshua’s ousting.” Leori answered when Marcello had finished speaking.

She smiled at his description of what SHE thought a Jedi should be. “We can only do our best. And then we die. But everything you described is what I have always believed was my duty as a Jedi. My fight is dealing with the after math of conflicts and heal the sentients of the galaxy. I am not sure that I fit in with the other Silver Jedi either. I have been struggling since I got there. Perhaps a change is necessary. I can be better.”